For decades, industry accountants only counted how many Superman and Captain America issues were ordered by newsstands, leaving historians with only hard sales data from 1997 forward. That’s not even considering the apples-to-oranges contrast between America’s single-issue distribution model and, say, Japan’s doorstop-style weekly anthology magazines.
If you wish to rely everything on verified data, you’ll need to provide a lot of disclaimers.
With that in mind, here are book marketing services top five best-selling comic books.
Top Five Most Popular Comic Books.
1. X-Men #1 (1991).
The big one: X-Men #1, which sold nearly eight times as many copies as the runner-up.
Since the early 1990s, nothing in American comics has come close to matching the early 1990s. The Speculator Boom is crucial in this case. As a result of the success of Batman films and novels such as The Dark Knight Returns, news sites began commenting on the value of classic comic books.
People wanted to find Action Comics #1 and sell it for over a million dollars. The comics industry aided them by promoting big events such as new outfits, character deaths, and debut issues.
The first appearances of Superman and Spider-Man were not widely distributed, purchased, or stored. Those are extremely rare and valuable books.
X-Men #1 was issued in five parts over five weeks, with five different covers. The final version was more expensive, had no commercials, and featured a double gatefold cover painted by Jim Lee, a favorite young up-and-coming artistic superstar.
2. Star Wars #1 (2015).
Your brows widened if you paid attention to sales numbers. To get to Star Wars #1, I had to buy 752,699 copies of Fantastic Four #60.
In 2015, Star Wars may be able to assist us. The Force Awakens was released to a fandom devoid of the canon. Marvel Comics stepped in once Lucasfilm’s contract with Dark Horse Comics expired, having recently reclaimed Disney’s Star Wars comics license.
Its inclusion in the original Star Wars trilogy sparked nostalgia for the expanding universe and promised something new.
That’s not all, though. There are about 100 variant covers for Star Wars #1 to collect, and Loot Crate included one with each monthly delivery. It’s difficult to picture Star Wars #1 becoming the best-selling comic of the twenty-first century.
3. Fantastic Four #60 (2002).
The appeal of Fantastic Four #60 is a mix of The 10-cent Adventure and Amazing Spider-Man #1. The issue isn’t the first in the series, but it represents the start of a new era for the comic, with writer Mark Waid stepping in for a celebrated three-year stint.
Although the issue isn’t an anthology, it did include a special promotional version that cost nine cents – half a year after DC’s one-cent-expensive promotional effort. The issue clarifies that this edition is the “world’s cheapest comic magazine,” as you can see.
4. Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure (2002) #1.
I can attest to the fact that Batman: The 10-cent Adventure was successful in its goal of attracting readers with a nostalgically low price point, as it was the comic that inspired me to start buying comics. I needed to know what occurred next, and I needed to know now.
The 10-cent Adventure began the two-part crossover narrative Bruce Wayne: Murderer? and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive and concluded on a cliffhanger. Bruce Wayne had been falsely accused of murder, and the only way out was to reveal his hidden alibi: he’d been miles away as Batman at the time of his death.
On the other hand, a cliffhanger cannot sell a comic before it is released. Likely, the 10 Cent Adventure’s promotional pricing point (ten red pennies) had more to do with it.
5. Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (2002).
Ultimate Spider-Man #1 is a bit of an exception. It’s not a big anniversary issue, it’s not an anthology, and only four alternative covers came with it.
In retrospect, Ultimate Spider-Man is the start of a series that would usher in major changes for Marvel Comics. First, by heralding the ascension of writer Brian Michael Bendis, and second, by laying the groundwork for Miles Morales’ transformation into Spider-Man.
But we’re not just talking about the first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, which came out in 2000. We’re also discussing the book’s re-publication on Free Comic Book Day in 2002, this was timed to coincide with the release of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in the United States. By starting Peter Parker’s superhero story from the beginning and modernizing it as it went, Issue has supposing to be a natural jumping on point for new readers.
The movie’s appeal to prospective readers boosted store preorders of the reissue, boosting Ultimate Spider-Man #1’s overall sales. Because our data on it does not include any reorders merchants may have made past that initial sales cutoff, the book’s true sales numbers are likely to be significantly higher.
